Sciolist is a noun that refers to one who makes superficial displays of knowledge.

Our word of the day comes from the Latin word scire (SHE ray) which means ‘to know.’ But a sciolist isn’t simply someone who has knowledge. It’s someone who has superficial knowledge and is showy in displaying that knowledge.

Kyle thought he was impressing us by talking about what he’d learned about the law. But in fact, he was coming across like a sciolist who had just bought a dictionary.

Renitent is an adjective that means resistant or recalcitrant.

Our word of the day has evolved from the Latin word reniti (ren EAT ee) which means ‘to resist.’ A person described as renitent is usually someone who resists constraints or compulsion.

There was a lot of pressure on Gina to sell her house, but she resisted the pressure and remained where she was. In the end, having such a renitent personality paid off. The house is now worth nearly two million dollars.

Darwinian is an adjective that means marked by competition.

Our word of the day comes from 19th century scientist Charles Darwin. His theory of evolution by natural selection portrays the natural world as a fiercely competitive environment. To refer to something as Darwinian means you are suggesting a great deal of cutthroat competition.

I liked working at the office, but things could get Darwinian from time to time. I could sense that if you couldn’t keep pace with everyone else, you were gone.

Condign is an adjective that means deserved or appropriate.

The Latin prefix C-O-N means ‘thoroughly.’ When combined with the Latin dignus (DEEN yoos) which means ‘worthy,’ we get our word of the day. Condign is frequently used in a negative sense and used in reference to a punishment. For example: I was pretty upset with the guy who banged up my car and took off without notifying anybody. As far as I was concerned, life in prison would be condign punishment for that guy.

Polyglot is a noun that refers to one who speaks many languages.

Our word of the day is a combination of the Greek prefix P-O-L-Y which means ‘many’ and glōtta (GLOW tah) the Greek word for ‘language.’ Polyglot can be used as an adjective that means multilingual. Or it may be used as a noun that refers to a multilingual person.

It’s a good thing my wife is a polyglot. When we arrived in town, we encountered people who spoke four different languages and once they got past English and French, I had no idea what anyone was saying.

Bootless is an adjective that means useless or unsuccessful.

A quick glance at our word of the day may suggest a word to describe someone who doesn’t have boots. But the ‘boot’ in bootless has nothing to do with footwear. It actually comes from Old English and means ‘use’ or ‘avail.’ By adding the suffix L-E-S-S, we get a synonym of ‘useless’ or ‘ineffective.’ For example: With all the financial troubles I was having at the time, I was too embarrassed to attend my ten year high school reunion. I didn’t want anyone to see how bootless the man voted most likely to succeed had become.

Illation is a noun that means an inferred conclusion.

The Latin word illatio (ee LAH cho) means ‘to bring in or carry.’ When we arrive at an illation, we are bringing in a conclusion based on what we’ve inferred.

When Gene hinted that Thursday might be a good day to cancel work and allow all employees to stay home and have cake while opening presents, the illation I gathered was that Thursday was his birthday. Gene never was subtle when it came to dropping hints.

Obloquy is a noun that refers to a strongly condemnatory utterance.

Our word of the day combines the Latin prefix O-B meaning ‘against’ with loqui (LOW kwee) which means ‘to speak.’ Obloquy may refer to a discredited condition or it may refer to an instance of verbal abuse.

I accidentally ordered mustard to be put on Robert’s sandwiches, but after the obloquy he gave me, I was always careful to not make that mistake again.

Stalwart is an adjective that means loyal and hardworking.

Our word of the day comes from Middle English and was originally pronounced stalworth. It means possessing loyalty and a great work ethic and can also be used as a noun to refer to a person who has these qualities.

It won’t be easy to find an appropriately stalwart person to take over for our receptionist Sara. People with that kind of commitment and dedication to the job are few and far between.

Dunkirk is a noun that refers to a desperate retreat.

Our word of the day’s origin comes from a town in France where a key event took place during World War Two. The allied forces engaged in a desperate withdrawal to avoid defeat. A Dunkirk doesn’t just refer to a retreat, but a retreat done for strategic purposes.

For example: We worked all night to get the project completed but in the end, we had a Dunkirk. We all agreed we’d get more done if we went home, got a good night’s sleep and finished things up with fresh minds.